Harvard's David Corey on Gene Therapy Breakthrough for Childhood Deafness

David Corey, Bertarelli Professor of Translational Medical Science at Harvard Medical School, discusses his team's development of gene therapies to treat hereditary deafness in children. After nearly 50 years studying inner ear cells, they're close to treating two types of genetic hearing loss: Usher syndrome type 1F and DFNB1. The therapy uses viruses to deliver normal gene copies into inner ear cells, replacing defective ones that cause deafness. Early treatment by age one or two is critical before brain hearing pathways fail to develop. With 3,000-4,000 children affected annually, this research represents a potential cure for genetic hearing loss.